Social & Economic Enterprises

Earth Rights Institute has advocated and promoted social and economic enterprises. We provide the tools, resources, education and support to help our partners and communities to apply commercial strategies to maximize improvements for the local population and their environment. We work towards creating businesses to further a social purpose in a financially sustainable way. In today's world, modern economic models have shown to bring in inequalities in the distribution of wealth especially in regions where poverty is rampant. Our programs, both in the past and current, have helped provide insight on how to provide income generation opportunities that meet the basic needs of people living in poverty. We strive for communities to become self-reliant over time and set up models that can be expanded or replicated to other communities. The microfinancing loan system, such as KIVA, is one of the loan investments we promote as well as long term loan investments called co-profit models.

Our programs apply sustainable business principles that achieve social good and ensure the reinvestment into the local community to further their social purpose and create employment for the population. Besides having helped start up numerous social enterprises in Nigeria, DRC, Ivory Coast and Guatemala, ERI has been researching and analysing the possibilities to develop a "Beyond Fair Trade" a unique feasibility study we conducted in 2010-2011 in Senegal to combine the respected eco-village model with a sustainable, locally based, trade network. Current Fair Trade programs focus solely on producers, at the expense of the community, and give power to international organizations. We are proposing to connect ecovillages in Senegal to establish a local trading system, as well as develop international partnerships for global trade. Our goal is to decentralize and localize economic power for a fairer distribution of wealth and create a meaningful base for economic security and independence. To learn more about this program, please contact us.

Special Thanks

Earth Rights Institute would like to extend our appreciation to these organizations and businesses for their ongoing support!

The Earth is the birthright of all people

Earth Rights Institute (ERI) is designed to be an equilateral knowledge platform, where local people collaborate with academics and development professionals, both local and foreign, by exchanging skills, experiences, and knowledge to solve crucial development issues such as widespread poverty, land right disputes and environmental degradation.